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Accession Data:

Strelitzia reginae Banks

  • Common Name: Bird of Paradise, Crane Lily
  • Family: Strelitziaceae (Schumann) Hutch.

  • Country of Origin: Cape Prov. to KwaZulu-Natal

  • Description: To 3 feet, trunkless, clump-forming; leaves oblong-lanceolate, to 1.5 feet long, six inches wide, acute, glaucescent beneath, the blade sometimes reduced; bracts green, edged with purple or red, to 8 inches long; flowers orange or yellow with dark blue tongue. The hard, beak-like sheath from which the flower emerges is termed the spathe. This is placed perpendicular to the stem, which gives it the appearance of a bird's head and beak; it makes a durable perch for holding the sunbirds which pollinate the flowers. The flowers, which emerge one at a time from the spathe, consist of three brilliant orange sepals and three purplish-blue petals. Two of the blue petals are joined together to form an arrow-like nectary. When the sunbirds sit to drink the nectar, the petals open to cover their feet in pollen.2
  • Uses: Commonly used as a cut flower in the florist trade.
  • Culture: Can be grown as a houseplant in a tub with a minimum night temperature of 50F. Propagated by suckers, division and seeds.
  • USDA Zone: 9b-11

Accession Data:

  • Accession # 198500292
  • Source: Unknown
  • Recorded Vouchers:
    1. Voucher CONN00057512 at George Safford Torrey Herbarium (CONN). Specimen collected 20 January 1969. Herbarium Image
  • Accession Date: 12-31-1985
  • Bench: 1118 - AFR:Ground Bed 2 SW
    • Currently: active - healthy
    • Qty: 1 confirmed on 02-26-2025

Classification:

  • Division: Magnoliophyta
  • Class: Liliopsida
  • SubClass: commelinids
  • Order: Zingiberales
  • SubOrder:
  • Family: Strelitziaceae
  • SubFamily:
  • Tribe:
  • SubTribe:

Flowering Data:

This accession has been observed in bloom on:
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003

References (internal):

  • Bird Pollination (ornithophily)
  • Pollination Syndrome Scavenger Hunt
  • EEB 3271 - Systematic Botany
  • Floriculture CDE Plant List
  • Plants with Vouchers deposited in CONN
  • EEB Greenhouse Holdings native to: Cape Provinces / KwaZulu-Natal /

References (external):

  1. Hortus Third, LH Bailey Hortorium, 1976
  2. Wikipedia. Accessed 2 April 2015.
  3. The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1. Accessed 2 April 2105.
  4. WCSP (2015). World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Accessed 2 April 2015.

data regenerated on Sat, 29 Mar 2025 11:09:03 -0400 [bcm v4.0]

Images:

Strelitzia reginae

Additional images for this accession:

Click on thumbnails to enlarge

Current Accessions in the Strelitziaceae

  • Phenakospermum guyannense
  • Strelitzia nicolai
  • Strelitzia reginae
W/C = Wild Collected
= indicates flowering in past 14 days
= images available for this accession
= map available for this accession
= accession added within past 90 days
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